de Kooning: A Retrospective
by John Elderfield (Editor, Contributor), Willem de Kooning (Contributor), Jim Coddington (Contributor), Jennifer Field (Contributor), Delphine Huisinga (Contributor), Susan Lake (Contributor)
This massive publication offers an unparalleled opportunity to appreciate the development of Willem de Kooning’s work as it unfolded over nearly seven decades, beginning with his early academic works, made in Holland before he moved to the United States in 1926, and concluding with his final, sparely abstract paintings of the late 1980s.
The volume presents approximately 200 paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints, covering the full diversity of de Kooning’s art and placing his many masterpieces in the context of a complex and fascinating pictorial practice.
An introductory essay by John Elderfield, MoMA’s Chief Curator Emeritus of Painting and Sculpture, provides an in-depth exploration of de Kooning’s development, context and sources, theory of art, and working methods. Sections devoted to particular areas of the artist’s oeuvre provide an illustrated chronology of the period and a brief introduction, as well as detailed entries on groups of works.
With lavish, full-color documentation, this landmark publication is the most complete account of de Kooning’s artistic career to date.
Willem de Kooning
Willem de Kooning (American/Dutch, 1904–1997) was a renowned American-Dutch painter that helped form the Abstract Expressionist movement. His gestural works—which were loosely based on figures, landscapes, and still lifes—helped establish a distinctly American style of painting. Perhaps De Kooning’s most famous series were his Woman paintings, inspired in part by Pablo Picasso’s work, they featured a wholly original approach to deconstructing the figure. “I don’t paint with ideas of art in mind. I see something that excites me. It becomes my content,” the artist once explained.
Product Details
Paperback: 504 pages
ISBN-10: 0870707981
ISBN-13: 978-0870707988
Dimensions: 24.21 x 3.61 x 30.4 cm
Publisher: Museum of Modern Art; Illustrated edition (9 Jun. 2020)
Language: English
